July 27, 2007

When Narcissus died the pool of his pleasure changed from a cup of sweet waters into a cup of salt tears, and the Oreads came weeping through the woodland that they might sing to the pool and give it comfort.

And when they saw that the pool had changed from a cup of sweet waters into a cup of salt tears, they loosened the green tresses of their hair and cried to the pool and said, `We do not wonder that you should mourn in this manner for Narcissus, so beautiful was he.'

`But was Narcissus beautiful?' said the pool.

`Who should know that better than you?' answered the Oreads. `Us did he ever pass by, but you he sought for, and would lie on your banks and look down at you, and in the mirror of your waters he would mirror his own beauty.'

And the pool answered, `But I loved Narcissus because, as he lay on my banks and looked down at me, in the mirror of his eyes I saw ever my own beauty mirrored.'

1、Narcissus：“cissus”部分的读音。
2、第一段中的“changed from a cup of sweet waters into a cup of salt tears”，在第二段再次出现，一字不差。一般写作都避免此类重复，看来是故意为之。
3、tresses：“esses”部分的视觉及发音。
4、第二段结尾处的“so beautiful was he”，倒装。照映第三段开头紧跟着的“But was Narcissus beautiful?”。
5、第三段：“said the pool”；第四段：“answered the Oreads”，“Us did he ever pass by”，倒装。第五段“the pool answered”，正序。
6、第四段“lie on your banks and look down at you”照映第五段“lay on my banks and looked down at me”。yourmy，youme。
7、第四段“in the mirror of your waters he would mirror his own beauty”，照映第五段“in the mirror of his eyes I saw ever my own beauty mirrored”。heI，hismy。语序上，没有用平整的“I saw ... in ...”。
8、mirror兼具名词性和动词性。